I Am The Best
by Constellapeia
Summary: Junior soccer star Thalia Grace has just moved to the US. Realizing that her no. 1 sports rival, Luke Castellan, attends the same school, she intends to battle with him to win her dream sports partnership. Add in hot romance & highschool drama and you've got yourself a steamy hot cup of rivalry and passion. AU, possible OOC
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own PJO or HoO. D:**

**Summary: Junior soccer star Thalia Grace has just moved to the US. Realizing that her no. 1 sports rival, Luke Castellan, attends the same school, she intends to battle with him to win her dream sports partnership.**

* * *

_I am the best. I am the best. I am the best._

It was like a mantra running through my mind, filling me with warm confidence that I really needed at the moment.

This was the last soccer match of the year. My team had made it into the finals for the third year in a row. Unlike the previous years, this time we were determined not to lose. And so we had put up a fight and now it came down to this. We finished at a draw – Gold Coast College against Sunshine Girls' Grammar. So now it was time for the tiebreaker kick.

I signalled my team around me with one hand. The gold and blue colours of our school soccer uniform swamped me. The girls gathered around and I could feel a sense of anticipation in the air.

"This is our last shot," I told them. "The ref has decided to have a sudden death penalty shoot-out since we've already gone thirty minutes overtime."

The girls around me nodded solemnly. I flexed my neck, taking a look to see who I would pick for the penalty kick. My eyes found beautiful crystal blue ones and I slowly let a grin appear on my face.

"No, no, no!" My best friend, the fashionista, Silena Beauregard, squeaked. Her eyes had widened and her hands were waving wildly about. For a split second I felt like laughing, and then I remembered the situation.

"Come on, Silena." I smiled and she looked around doubtfully.

"Why don't you take the shot, Thalia? You are after all the star forward of the team." She pointed out, pleading with her eyes to the rest of the team to agree with her. And damn, they did. Majority rules, I suppose. I pinched the bridge of my nose, "Fine."

I felt my heart hammer against my chest as I jogged to the penalty area. The referee was some old lady named Mrs Dodds. As I neared her presence, I shivered. She was just so… _creepy._

"Players, step forward," the ref spoke in a high pitched nasally voice. "Choose: heads or tails?" She turned to me, revealing a fifty cent coin in her wrinkly palm.

"Tails," I said confidently, eyeing up the girl beside me. I had seen her play earlier as an offensive midfielder, and I knew her volleys were good.

"Heads, I guess," she said in a monotone, her eyes flicking up to meet mine. I raised my brow in challenge and she quickly looked away.

The ref threw the coin in the air then flipped it on her arm. She raised her head. "Tails. Gold Coast College play first."

I nodded and waited for the other team to clear off. The crowd by now had realised that the game was starting again, and soon they had quietened down into silent spectators. A breeze tickled my nose and I nearly sneezed. I glanced behind me and saw my team. Silena held up crossed fingers.

The ball was put into position.

_I am the best. I am the best. I am the best._

I started up my mental chant again and took a few paces back to the side. The white and black ball blinked up at me and I glared at it. My world had switched to just me, the ball, the goal, and the goalie.

The referee blew the whistle, a sharp piercing sound that broke through my thoughts, forcing me into action. If I managed to move within three seconds of the whistle, I would have an advantage – the element of surprise.

I ran at a controlled pace, keeping my body alignment just at the corner of the goal. Then _smack! _My right foot hit the ball, sweeping nearly underneath it, providing the ball with a clean lift. My hip swung with the motion and I looked up for a quick second, watching the ball spin and bend, aimed precisely to the left of the goalie.

I quickly tensed up my muscles, ready just in case if there happened to be a rebound. But the shot was true. It just brushed past the goalie's fingertips, and I let out a tight smile.

The ref blew the whistle and it was up to the other team. I made eye contact with my goalie, Clarisse La Rue. She grinned at me, cracking her knuckles and flexing her neck. I rolled my eyes at her but couldn't help to grin. I had faith in Clarisse. She was one of the best goalies that I had seen. Though her body build was stocky and large, she was nimble… And hell was she quick.

The Sunshine Grammar girl quickly took her position, looking bored as ever. When the whistle sounded, she took a slow jog to the soccer ball, taking her time, most likely trying to make Clarisse edgy and nervous. When reaching the ball she let out a killer kick, causing the ball to spin at a high speed. Everyone held their breath and I was pretty sure Clarisse was, too.

Then in slow mo, Clarisse's eyes narrowed, locking onto the object. I could see her tense then jump high and sideways, her arms catching the ball to her stomach.

There was a pregnant pause as the teams gradually took the time to realise what had happened. And then Clarisse gave a loud shout of excitement and the other members began grouping together for hugs, shrieking with pure delight. The championship was ours. I looked over to the other school. We would see them again at the trophy night.

I let out a sigh of relief and began scanning the crowd for my father. Zeus Grace wasn't there. He was rarely at my matches. I couldn't help but feel disappointment brew in my chest.

"Thalia!" I spun around at the very sound of my name. Silena was jogging up to me, arm in arm with a very not amused Clarisse. "Come, we've got to thank the other team!"

"Silena," I said in an exasperated voice, but she grasped my hand and started to pull me back to the others. As I was dragged, I couldn't help but look behind me one more time. This time I saw two men dressed in black suits. They were discussing something – arguing, it seems – and they kept looking at me.

-!-

I was actually jealous of Silena and her magical talent of keeping perfect during sports. Whether it was training or actual competition, her hair would be fashionably messy, and she made the soccer uniform look like it was ready for a sports catwalk. Unlike me, she had a very slim and slender figure. In contrast, I was curvy, and my… _assets _were noticeably bigger than hers, front-wise and back-wise.

"Stop staring," she grinned, shrugging out of the jersey and into a pink tank top.

I pouted. "It's not my fault. You've got a great figure," I complimented.

"You too, you know," she spun around, eyeing my bust and petite waist. "I'd kill for your waist."

We were in the locker rooms changing. As usual, everyone had finished up and left quickly. And as expected, Silena was the last in the changing rooms. For some reason she just took so, so, long.

I had finished ages ago, and I do mean _ages ago. _So while I lounged on the oh-so-comfy steel benches that poked into my back, Silena was busy styling her hair now in the mirror.

Completely bored by now, I stood up and stretched, coming to stand next to her. "Done?" I asked.

She giggled and my lips twitched upwards a bit. Her happiness was contagious. "Nooo!" She dragged out and then tugged my arm so that we stood in the mirror together.

I took one glance then blanched at my reflection. We were almost the same height, Silena just being a centimetre or two taller. People said that we looked like sisters. We kind of did with our blue eyes, black hair and fair skin. If we were, I'd have to say that Silena would be the pretty one. Silena's hair was sleek and full of volume, ending above her stomach; mine was curly and wavy and was cut into a pixie style at my shoulders.

"Okay, I'm finished," she smiled at the mirror and batted her eyelashes. "How do I look?"

"Spiffing."

She let out an unladylike snort, moving to grab our duffle bags. I let out a full blown smile. I loved Silena as a sister. She was the closest friend to me, and with her, I could be myself, and so could she.

"Here," she chucked my duffle, and catching it, we walked out of the room.

"Where do you want to grab a snack at?" I asked her, walking around the fencing and out onto the pavement.

"Mm? Gloria Jeans. I could really have an iced chocolate drink now."

-!-

"Last day of term 3," I grinned, knocking my drink gently against Silena's.

"Cheers!" She beamed back at me. "And oh my gosh, off to America! Can you believe it? We were actually chosen by scouts," Silena flipped her long hair off her shoulder and started stirring her drink with her straw. "_We. Were. Chosen."_

I nodded. "But there are only two people that I know of that are going for the scholarship: you and me. There's supposed to be three. Who's the third?"

She shrugged her delicate shoulders. "Beats me."

My phone beeped and I picked it up.

From Jace: _Sis, Dad sent you a list of your main competitors. Check it out! :D_

Silena took a sip of her iced chocolate. "Who is it?"

"Jason," I replied, stirring my drink absentmindedly. Then I checked my inbox, finding the message from my dad. Silena leaned over, reading aloud the message. "_Thalia, your scholarship puts you in a competition to win a partnership with a sports label. Your biggest competitor for soccer would be Luke Castellan. He's known to be a junior soccer star like you. His stats are down below." _Silena scrolled down and then gasped. "Holy shit, he's a babe!"

A tingling feeling went up my spine as Silena showed me his profile. Oh boy. He _was_ a hottie. "He's alright." I heard myself say, and Silena rolled her eyes.

"Sure, sure." She grinned. "Check out his stats. He's a forward like you. Damn, girl, he's going to be some real tough competition! No wonder your dad said he would be your biggest competitor!"

I sat back in the arm chair. I felt as if someone had sucker punched me in the head. "I'll just have to do better than him then."

Silena nodded. "You going to eat that?" She gestured at my untouched strawberry mousse cake.

Shaking my head, I pushed the plate over to her and watched as she dug in.

I took another long look at my phone screen where the photo of the blonde boy smirked up at me in a cocky and challenging way. It was almost as if he were saying, "Come get the partnership from me." The corners of my lips tugged upwards.

_I loved a_ challenge.

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A/N: Thankies to xXN1C0L3Xx :*


	2. Chapter 2 - Neighbours

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own PJO or HoO. O:**

_A/N: Sorry for the late update! I had prom last week and it was a blast ;) I was also nominated for the Barbie Doll Award and won it too, so thank you to everyone at school who voted for me! Merci beaucoup :)  
_

_Dedicationz (Jawshy-Wash, here you are, bish :3 ) - _Storm229, xXN1C0L3Xx, BookWorm2512, ThaliaDaphneJackson12, JayKayy, Jawshy-Wash, Soccer Gal, SnowPrincess248, Athletiger._  
_

_Thanks for reading and don't forget to leave me a message below ;)  
_

_- S  
_

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The first thing I did when I stepped off the plane in New York City was call my brother, Jason. No… Not very exciting.

Silena, on the other hand, started gaping and gawking. "Oh. My. Gosh." Her eyes wide, she spun around in a circle, surveying her surroundings. Then her gaze snapped to me and I decided to take a very calculated step backwards. "You're not excited, Thalie?"

I shook my head, then nodded, then stopped and thought. "Well… Not re-"

I broke off, realising that I had all of our suitcases, minus Silena. "Oh, what?" I sighed.

Keeping a tight hold on the suitcases, I began to walk briskly to the exit where the information centres ought to be.

"Where are you going, girl?"

I nearly jumped at the sound, and then shot a glare at the girl standing next to me. Decked out in designer brands and jewellery, Silena was a picture of angelic innocence, clutching a hot pink iPhone to her chest.

"Getting a taxi?" I tried to keep my voice steady, hoping that I sounded normal, so Silena wouldn't realise that she nearly scared the Hades out of me.

"No need," she grinned. "My mum's got us a limo." With that said she picked up her pink roll-on luggage bag and began strutting down to the pick-up point.

I had forgotten about Silena's mum. Aphrodite Beauregard was an extremely famous supermodel, beauty expert and fashion designer. She lived and worked in New York. Silena's father however lived in Australia. He owned a chocolate factory and would often send us boxes of the delicious sweets.

My parents however were divorced. Zeus Grace was one of the richest people on earth. He and his brothers, Poseidon and Hades, were known as the Big Three. They owned the three biggest companies in the world. My mother was an eighties starlet. Sarah Grace was a beauty back in the day. Mum developed a drinking problem after the divorce though. She died a few years ago from a car accident. I also had two half-siblings: Apollo and Artemis. They were older than Jason and I and were fraternal twins.

I bit at the quick of my thumb as I slid into the backseat of the limousine. I grew up in New York and only left for high school in Australia. It felt oddly reminiscent cruising along the streets of the city. Tall buildings, semi-crowded streets and the zingy yellow of taxis greeted my eyes.

The ride took approximately twenty minutes. Twenty minutes of talking excitedly with Silena, swapping new phone numbers after we changed sim cards and texting my brother.

From Apollo: _I heard from Arty that you were staying at Silena's mother's apartment complex. How come you don't want to stay with Jason and me? ): _

I didn't even bother replying to that. I didn't want to stay with Jason and Apollo because… well, you know how boys are – messy, and all that. Besides, Artemis was studying overseas and it would be no fun to stay alone with my brothers. So I decided to take up Aphrodite's kind offer to stay at one of her apartments, along with Silena.

"Misses," came a female voice from the speaker of the lined roof of the limo. "We are here."

Silena pressed a button next to the speaker before she spoke into the mic. "Thanks for the ride!"

The doors opened automatically and I quickly grabbed my black studded jacket before stepping outside. Silena followed after me, her Christian Louboutin heels clicking on the ground.

We were standing at the outside of a beautiful glassy abstract building. It was rectangular in shape with some triangles and sharp roofs jutting out. The material looked like hard metallic glass, a bit bullet-proof perhaps. The entrance of the building was under shelter and mailboxes in the shape of triangles lined one side of the small hall. Aphrodite's apartment complex was so amazingly her. It was fashionable, it looked futuristic, and it was like a small gem in the middle of the city, what with the metals reflecting the sun and sending sparkles everywhere.

"Wow." I said, impressed, and I took a step back to look at the building better.

"Wow." Silena echoed back. "It must be ten stories or something!" She fingered the strap of her Gucci handbag, then dug her hand in and pulled out a silver card. "Here," she said, handing it over to me. "The key to your room."

The card was a hard plastic with a hole punched on the corner. It had a key ring with a silver skull adorned with light blue gems. "Thanks," I replied, liking the keychain immediately.

We walked in the lobby together, our bags in tow behind us. Inside the lobby was quite different from the outside. Whilst the outside was very modern, the interior had a mode olden feel to it. It was painted a pale yellow gold with nice lounges of beige leather. The wall opposite of the elevators had a large mural of Greek gods. Interesting.

I read the number on my card key. Apartment 96, level 10. I looked up at Silena while we were on the lift. "Please don't tell me it's a penthouse."

She plucked the card from my hands and flipped it over, narrowing her eyes as she looked. "It is!" She clasped her hands together and beamed at me. Stepping out of the lift at the highest level of the complex, we looked around. "Oh…" I heard disappointment in her voice.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked, turning to see her looking crestfallen.

"We are five apartments away!" She mumbled at the floor, but quickly composed herself and smiled. "At least we're on the same level, right?"

"Right." I smiled and she gave me another silver card. "What's this?"

"My apartment key, just in case, you know." Silena gave me a wave as she walked down the hall to her new home.

I just stood there, holding my card in one hand and Silena's – the one with a pink heart with angel wings – in the other. I glanced up and looked around the corridor, finding my apartment quickly. The door was silver and had a chrome plate with '96' written in fancy numbers on it. There was no door knob. Instead there was a chrome rectangle machine thing, much like a hotel room door. Slipping the card in, the door opened smoothly, revealing a large stylish apartment.

I immediately groaned. Right in front of me around five metres ahead was a large balcony, and the curtains were drawn back revealing a very sheer drop to the city below. I cringed as I walked quickly over and closed the gauze-like white curtains. Ah, much better. I smiled a little at my silly fear of heights.

Then I took the moment to actually explore my apartment. It was nice and homey. Walk right in and there's a kitchen to your right, large with a ceramic stove, dishwasher and sink. Across the sink was a countertop that acted as a small bar. The living room was across it and was spacious and bright due to the skylights and the balcony. Turn right again and there was one huge bedroom with an en suite, a spa/shower and a huge dresser table.

Holy Zeus. The next time I saw Aphrodite, I would praise her to the high heavens. I kicked off my black boots and moved my bags to the bedroom. The bed was king sized and had a comfy comforter, and large fluffy pillows of assorted colours. A medium sized plush collie dog sat in the middle with a studded black collar. It faced the mirror cupboards across, as if it were telling me to open it.

And so I did. And at that moment I was about to either jump on the roof and proclaim my love for Aphrodite, or crawl in a corner and wish to die. I think I preferred the latter. The wardrobe was filled with clothes and shoes. It was my style, just flashier and more designer. Black leather and silver adorned the clothes, and the shoes looked great too. Then on one side were neat soccer uniforms, cleaned and folded. A new soccer ball was on the ground underneath the shelf too.

I suddenly felt tired and went to sit on the bed. It was so nice of Silena's mum to do this for me, but she really didn't have to. Closing my eyes, I started to drift into sleep before I heard a musical chime. Huh? What was that? I groggily walked to the front door and opened it. "Hi Silena," I greeted, noting that she had changed her outfit.

"Hi," she grinned and reached out to touch the blue streak in my hair. "You know, I really like that colour on you. It suits you."

"Thanks," I smiled as I let her in. "What's the basket for?" I looked pointedly at the small basket filled with fruits and flowers.

"It's for greeting the neighbours, since we are new and all… I thought it would be nice to introduce ourselves. Make friends a bit and-"

"Alright," I cut her off. "Where to?"

She fidgeted slightly and sucked in a sharp breath. "I was thinking maybe next door?" Silena blurted out, then crossed her legs and bobbed up and down.

I let her drag me out of the house, making sure that the door clicked shut behind me and that I had my key in my pocket. "95 or 97?" She asked excitedly, her hands clasped together in the total Silena-esque way.

"97?" I shrugged, and she jumped to ring the doorbell.

Not more than a few seconds later did we hear a female voice say, "Coming!" And the door swung open. Standing before us was a young lady (she looked around the late twenties to early thirties) with curly blonde hair and the most brilliant green hue eyes. She wore an apron which had clay splattered over it, and her hands were caked with the substance. "Well, what do we have here?" She squinted at us and her pupils narrowed like a snake. "New neighbours? Welcome!" She threw her arms wide and smiled at us. "I haven't had visitors in such a long, long time." She gazed off wistfully before snapping back to reality. "Come in, come in, where's my manners?" She stepped back to allow Silena to flounce in with her award winning smile.

"Hello, I'm Silena Beauregard, and this is Thalia Grace." She pointed at me with a grin. "We're new here, but my mother owns the building."

The lady beamed at both of us. "Nice to meet you, girls. I'm Medusa Valance, named after the Greek monster –" her nose wrinkled as she said this, "- but you can call me Aunty Em!"

Aunty Em turned out to be quite an eccentric lady. She accepted the gifts with amusement and showed us around her living room, taking great pleasure as she did so.

"I make statues," she waved her hand in a flourish, showing the clay and some marble statues in various locations of her house. "I like to make them as close to the fantasy world as possible." She sat back down on her chair, placing her hands on a piece of clay shaped like a satyr's head. "This is my newest artwork! I named him Ferdinand." She showed us proudly her satyr head and Silena recoiled in shock as I looked at it with mild interest. "I like to capture people's emotions," Aunty Em explained, a laugh bubbling up from her.

She gazed up at me then, staring hard at my face. "You have lovely features, Thalia. I would very much like to capture that on a statue…" She trailed off, thinking about something. "Marble, perhaps?"

I didn't know what to do so I shrugged. "That would be, um… Nice." I cleared my throat, looking off at her photos on the table. One in particular caught my eye.

"Beautiful photo frames, did you make them?" Silena was trying to make conversation again as she tried to keep her distance from the satyr head.

"Yes," Aunty Em said, looking up to answer. She was busy etching the eyebrows of the satyr, one hand skilfully and artfully working.

I blinked and stared at the photograph again. Surely it couldn't be… "Uncle Poseidon?" I couldn't help but ask.

Aunty Em looked at me, surprise spreading across her face. "Uncle? He's your uncle?"

"Yeah, Poseidon." I pointed at a photo of him and Aunty Em together at a beach. They looked like teenagers, happy and in love. Was this before Aunt Sally? I frowned.

"We dated." She replied, her answer short and simple.

It was awkward then and pretty much silent. I played with the rings on my finger while Silena watched Aunty Em work with her sculptures.

"I think it's time we went," I started off, checking the owl clock on the wall.

"So soon?" Aunty Em paused with her work and swept her blonde hair out of the way. Her green eyes fixed on me with a hint of sadness and I almost felt guilty for leaving her alone.

"We have our first day of school tomorrow," I explained, standing up slowly, watching as her eyes followed my every move like a snake.

"Goode High School?" She questioned and Silena nodded and piped up a yes. "I teach art there!"

I stepped back and let Silena handle that happy outburst. "Really? That's wonderful! We will go say hello to you when we see you then."

"And you will visit here too, right? I do get so lonely sometimes." She smiled and I couldn't help but smile back and nod a yes. "That's great then. Have a good night's sleep and I'll see you tomorrow." She gave a wink and a wave as we went out.

I moved to open my door but Silena's hand closed around my wrist. With one glance at each other, we burst into laughter.

"That was so, so awkward!" She giggled, clutching her stomach with one hand and trying to stifle a laugh with her other.

"I know," I smiled, recalling Aunty Em's eccentric behaviour and attitude.

"Hey, so meet you here tomorrow for school, right?" Silena asked, watching me as I dipped my card in the machine.

"Yeah, of course! Oh, and Silena, we be-" I was cut off from what I was about to say by the chime of the elevator, signalling that the doors were opening. I heard heavy footsteps fall behind me, and Silena's mouth dropped open, her breath stalling.

"What?" I mouthed, watching as she quickly assumed a sassy position, messing her hair as she did so.

"Spin around," she mouthed back, giving me one of her "OMG!" expressions.

I turned carefully and found myself standing face to… well, chest. It was a nice chest. Broad, tanned, well-muscled and – I froze. Naked. A naked chest.

Immediately my gaze dropped down, slightly embarrassed. But that was even worse. He wore old faded jeans that were slung low on his hips. His stomach was ripped, perfectly sculpted like it belonged to Adonis, or even Apollo.

The guy cleared his throat in an irritated way and I quickly looked up. Wavy blonde hair messed artfully, high cheekbones and blue eyes. Blue eyes the colour of the ocean, framed by thick golden lashes.

"Can I help you?" His mouth turned down with annoyance and his voice was deep and firm.

Keep your cool, Thalia. Breathe in and out.

"Well?" He arched a brow and this time I noticed that his eyes were not the colour of a warm ocean, but the colour of a cold icy sea. I didn't like the way he was looking at me like I was inferior. He was probably baiting me, and like an extremely bad habit, I was probably going to rise to the bait.

"Hi!" Silena quickly stepped in before I could snap a reply at him. "We just moved here, I'm Silena and this is Thalia."

"I know." He brushed the wavy blonde locks off his forehead, fixing us with an analysing stare.

Alright then. I really didn't like this guy at the moment.

"Luke." He finally said, offering his hand.

Silena quickly shook hands with him, a coy smile already in place. When it was my turn, I stared icily at it.

"Suit yourself, Kitten." He shrugged, and stuck his hand into the pockets of his jeans.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped, flabbergasted that he had already chosen a pet name for me.

He smirked, and oh how I wanted to slap it off his face. "Well, ladies, this has been quite an interesting visit. If you don't mind…" He did a half wave before walking around us and pulling his card out of his bag. I spotted a glimpse of a black and white ball, a familiar object. Oh hell no. What did he say his name was?

"I'll see you around, Silena… And Kittycat."

I snapped back into reality and glared at him. "Douche!" I growled, hands clenched and by my side. His door closed slowly, a throaty and deep laugh echoed as it shut with a click.

I closed my eyes and took in a deep breath. "He's Luke, isn't he?" I asked, trying to keep calm.

"He said he was Luke, silly!" Silena said, and I could almost hear her daydreaming about him. Yuck.

"I meant, he's the one – that guy, Luke Castellan." I opened my eyes to see her staring at me.

"You saw it, too? The soccer ball and that captain crest?" She asked, and I nodded.

"I hate him." I said aloud, recalling his stupid smirk and attitude. "He had the audacity to call me by a pet name, too."

Silena shrugged and then shot me a sly grin. "You've got to admit it though – he's quite good looking. Actually, he's better looking in real life. You just might end up falling in love with him!"

No. That whole encounter summer up what I thought about Luke Castellan in a nut shell. He was cocky and arrogant, and not at all, even in the least, good looking. And I would never, I repeat, ever, fall in love with him.


	3. Chapter 3 - The Woes of School

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO.**

**A/N: **_Oh my. I really do have trouble updating. D:  
_

_Thankies to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted. Especially: Athletiger, ThaliaDaphneJackson12, Girl Whose Name You Might Know, purplebutterfly12, JayKayy, Charlott, DogsAreAwesome, Emz, Jawshy-Wash, BookWorm2512, & ! _

_I have also reactivated my Twitter. *nod* So if you would like to follow me, it's SkyeBeaumont ; tweet me your fanfiction name and I'll follow back. :)_

_To iH8Constellapeia: Okay? I don't think I am pretty and strut around? XD I don't know what you're on about but she wasn't dating him and I didn't "steal" him, what? LOL bite me._

_**Thanks for reading and remember to drop me a message below :D**  
_

* * *

_*Beep, beep! Beep, beep!*_

I groaned and buried myself deeper into the covers, pulling the plush collie over my head.

_*Beep, beep! Beep, beep!*_

The alarm was irritating. I opened an eye and glared at the digital alarm clock that was sitting on the bedside table, an arm's reach away. The red pixel digits glared right back at me in an angry red – 6:30AM.

"C'mon…" I said, voice muffled by the pillow. "Five more minutes."

I forgot that I was talking to an inanimate object, so the alarm kept beeping until I got up. I sighed, sitting upright and rubbing my eyes blearily.

It was my usual morning routine by then. Eat breakfast, brush teeth and wash my face, and then… choose clothes…

Urgh. I stared at the wardrobe scanning for stuff. Should I go for a new and fresh look or what? I frowned. Nah. Too lazy to do that. I grabbed a black tube with scratch like markings on the torso, shrugged on black skinny jeans, and grabbed my black studded leather jacket and shiny PVC Doc Martins. This will do, I smiled, strapping a belt with plastic shark figurines onto my jeans.

I checked the time. 7:15AM. What time was I supposed to meet Silena, again? I didn't know so I went to the bathroom to spike my hair and put make up on.

_*Brzzt!*_

My phone vibrated and I checked it. It was a text from Silena saying that I should get my ass outside. Well then. Did I have my school bag? Check. Gym clothes? Check. Money? Check. Phone? Definitely. Key? Uh-huh.

I turned around and quickly scanned the room, checking whether I forgot anything or not. Then I pulled open the door.

I automatically made a disgusted face. I was absolutely sure that what was standing in front of me must have been pulled out of a Hollywood chick flick, because girl in pink standing there had one high heel clicking the ground with impatience, one hand holding a milkshake and texting furiously with the other. She had a baby pink Eskimo jacket which was lined with faux white fur, underneath sporting a white top and finished with pale ripped skinny jeans and heels.

The pink monster looked up. "What?"

I gawked and quickly snapped my mouth shut. "Nothing. Nothing at all, let's go."

All through the walk to school I felt like I was in some high school movie. Some people looked as us weird, and I must say we must have been a funny sight, what with Silena dressed in pink while I was decked in black.

Silena was still sipping her milkshake when we walked through the school gates. It was 8:30AM now, according to my phone. Massive crowds of students were clustered around the school lawn. Goode High School was enormous. The school grounds were huge, and the amount of students who attended was astonishing.

I felt Silena squirm beside me. I knew she didn't like huge crowds. "Hey," I grabbed her arm and pulled her away from the intimidating stares of the other girls. "Office. Now."

She nodded and bit her lip, allowing me to drag her to the school's office. As we walked past some groups, I caught sight of the school banner. _Goode High School, Where Life is Goode. _I couldn't help it. I broke into a grin and Silena looked questioningly at me. "Worse pun ever." I commented.

"Whoa, haha," she smiled, shaking her head at the large banner.

The school office looked normal. The lobby was filled with what I guessed were new students in lower grades. We quickly joined up the queue to speak to the office lady. Standing in front of us were two long legged athletic girls. Both sported tans one of them had really rich curly brown hair while the other had pin straight platinum blonde. They were leaning their heads together, talking and taking glances at Silena who had pulled out her phone and was texting someone again.

"Hi," the brunette turned around and greeted us with a pink manicured hand. "I'm Kelli and this is my twin sister Tammi." She gestured at the tanned blonde who waggled her fingers at us.

Silena looked up from her phone and beamed. "I'm Silena and this is my best friend, Thalia. We're new."

"We kind of figured," Kelli laughed. "We're new too, so I guess we can be new buddies. What grade are you in?"

Silena looked at me and I answered, "Junior slash senior, or something or the other."

"Haha, same." Tammi replied.

The bell rang just then, signalling a possible roll call or assembly. Kellie gave a final smile before taking Tammi's arm and walking their way out of the office. "See you around."

"Bye," Silena waved while I nodded.

I took note of their clothes, trying to see which group they'd fit in to at school. Most likely the cheerleaders, as I saw Tammi looking interestedly at the squad that was outside.

"Next." The office lady, a middle aged woman called us up. "Names?" She asked.

"Grace Thalia, and Beauregard Silena." I said and she quickly opened a cabinet and dug through the Manila folders.

"Here are your timetables, and this sheet here is a map of the school. The first bell that just went signifies an assembly which is held every morning. Make your way down here," she pointed her fingernail on the map at the main hallway, "and keep walking down. Have a good day at Goode!"

Silena and I thanked her, trying hard not to face palm at her pun.

"Show me your timetable!" Silena said as we walked to the gym hall where the assembly was held.

"Maths advanced, maths extension, English advanced, science, world history, commerce, food technology, computer programming, health and physical education." I read out my subjects.

"Really? I chose the same as you except drama instead of computers and art instead of history." Silena took my timetable and compared it to hers. "Look! Nearly same classes!"

We entered the hall and got ushered to the senior section. Taking our seats, I looked at the timetables. "That's great, Si," I said, and I did mean it.

The assembly was long and boring. It consisted of a welcome back to school speech from the principal and a few dances performed by dancing troupe.

"So in conclusion ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to say welcome back to Goode and I hope you have a good year with us!" The principal smiled. "Off to period one now! Dismissed!"

It was like the worst peak hour rush ever. Massive crowds of students were forcing their way to the exits, some poor freshmen tripping over chairs to reach the doors. Someone grabbed my arm and I was about to turn around and snap at them when a tall dark haired boy suddenly loomed in front of me.

"Pinecone Face!"

I grinned widely as I recognised my cousin. "Barnacle Boy!" I teased as he snorted.

"Always a new nickname from you," he sighed and then he stared at my face closely. "You've changed."

"Yes, that tends to happen when people grow older." I raised an eyebrow and Percy Jackson stared at me with a dazed expression.

"Perce? Perce!" I waved my hands in front of him. "Mermaid Man!"

Percy jerked back into reality. "Huh? What?"

We were walking to the locker area for our grade. People in the corridors didn't really pay any attention to us this time, though I did notice that Percy got a few approving looks from some girls.

"I'd like you to meet my friend, Silena Beauregard." I turned next to me where Silena was, smiling shyly at my cousin. "Silena, this is Percy, my cousin."

"Hi," Silena waved at him and Percy just stared for a few seconds. Yeah, Silena kind of had that effect on boys the first time she met them.

I prodded Percy and he just gave a goofy grin at Silena. So Percy-like.

When we reached the locker area, I located mine easily and checked my combination number on my timetable slip. Opening my locker, I grimaced. Whoever had this locker last semester didn't clean it out properly. There was rubbish shoved at the top, gum in a corner and a terrifying odour which smelled suspiciously of canned tuna.

"Ew!" I exclaimed, dropping my bag to the floor and sticking my head in for a closer look. "Can this get any grosser? Why not grow some mould or something?"

Percy shrugged behind me. "That's how the lockers always are. You could go to the bathrooms and get tissues, I guess."

"No need, I've got wet wipes," Silena stuck her hand in her purse and pulled out a pack of antibacterial wipes which I gratefully took from her. Pulling my spray deodorant out of my bag, I gave my locker a huge spray down until people around me started gagging.

"So where's Death Breath and Bianca?" I asked Percy who was being melodramatic and pretending to suck in deep breaths of air.

"Bianca is probably in class and same with Nico. They wanted to see you, so maybe you could sit with us at lunch?"

I glanced at Silena and she nodded. Well, that was settled then.

I finished cleaning my locker and arranging everything and made my plans with Percy. Then after that I grabbed my maths book and said bye to my friends, heading off to class.

First period for me was maths with Mr Dionysus. Dionysus? The name was peculiar; it reminded me of the Greek god.

I found my way into the classroom just as the bell rang. A slightly balding man sat at the desk in the front of the room. He sported a pot belly, the buttons at the front of his Hawaiian blue shirt straining under his... What do I call it? Excess baggage?

He eyed me lazily, stirring his coffee with one hand.

"New." I just said, standing at the door awkwardly.

"Ah. Theresa Green, is it?" He asked, not bothering to look at me anymore. Instead, he busied himself with his papers on his desk.

"Actually, it's Tha-" I started to say but he cut me off with a wave of his hand.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. Take a seat quickly. Quickly!"

I rolled my eyes but couldn't help grinning. I had a feeling that this teacher would be annoying but funny.

Making my way to the back of the room, I found a spot at the second last row and sat down. The girls sitting in front of me had had their eyes trained on me, and when they saw me sit down in that spot, they gasped loudly. Some of them even gave me disapproving looks. I shrugged it off, setting my books and pens in front of me and leaning back in my chair.

Mr Dionysus began calling the roll, and as expected, when he reached my name he called me by a different name - "Talia Grey."I decided to humour him by just saying, "Present" whenever he called my name in whatever variation in the future.

When the girls in the front of the class kept glaring at me, I couldn't take it anymore. I leaned forwards and tapped the girl sitting in front of me. She turned around and smiled, "Hey, Theresa."

"Uh, it's Thalia. Sir just calls me Theresa for no reason." I frowned.

"Oh sorry," she said, her cheeks flushing red. "I'm Katie by the way. Katie Gardner. Nice to meet you." She held her hand out and I shook it. Katie wore jeans and a plain t-shirt with the writing, "Homework Kills Trees!"

"Nice to meet you too. So anyways I wanted to ask why everyone is staring at me like I just killed five people." As I looked around, I caught a few more people who quickly looked away when I glanced up.

Katie saw it too and she just smiled knowingly. "It's because you're sitting in-"

"Glad you could join us, Mr Castellan!" Dionysus' voice boomed around the classroom and I winced.

"Aww thanks Sir. I'm glad I could join you too," came the reply from the boy who had just entered the room.

Luke Castellan stood at the frame of the door, one hand holding his books leisurely by his side. His blonde wavy hair was messed and went into his cold eyes. They locked on mine as he scanned the classroom and immediately he raised an eyebrow.

He made his way over in a slow pace and the class held its breath. Katie turned around slightly and mouthed, "You're in his seat!"

I shrugged. First come, first serve. "Not my problem," I mouthed back and he walked passed me and dropped into the seat behind me. I had an urge to turn around and do something childish like stick my tongue out at him, but I felt too lazy, so I sat there staring at the whiteboard.

He shifted behind me, and then I felt as if there was a weight placed on the back of my chair. I stiffened and sat up straight. What was he doing? I frowned and turned around to see that he had propped his feet up on my chair, his arms crossed behind his head as he leaned back with a smirk on his face. "What are you going to do about it?" His smirk said.

My eyes narrowed. "Do you mind?" I hissed.

Castellan's eyebrows rose, and his eyes held a playful gleam. "Nope." He replied, popping the 'p'. "I don't mind."

Mr D coughed. "Ahem. May I please continue with this class, Miss Grace and Mr Castellan?"

Castellan shrugged while I threw my hands up in the air. Screw this.

The rest of the maths lesson was spent with me trying to ignore the pompous prat behind me. At times he would shift his feet to poke me, and I would turn around to shoot a glare. But other than that, the lesson was mildly boring.

I felt like praising the high heavens when the bell rang, signalling period two. While I took my sweet time packing up my stuff, Blondie headed straight to the door like a bullet.

"Good riddance," I growled, watching as he strolled out the door.

"Don't let him get to you, he's always like that." I turned to see Katie Gardner waiting for me. "What class are you in now?"

"Uh..." I flipped open my diary and checked the timetable. "Science, down at the labs with..." I squinted, reading the minuscule print. "Mr Kronos."

Katie giggled as we walked out of the class. "He is so creepy, I swear. I feel so sorry for you."

I grimaced. "That bad, huh?"

She nodded and made a face. "I've got English now, so I guess I'll see you at break. Bye!"

Spinning around I waved before making my way down to the labs. Surprisingly they seemed quite old. Some paint was peeling off the labs and there was a noticeable amount of graffiti and gum stuck to some tables and chairs.

The man at the front of the room looked like a replica of Professor Snape. Seriously.

He had grimy hair, combed back and plastered to the nape of his neck. Hooded eyes that glowered at everyone in the room and a hooked nose. Mr Kronos, it seemed, desperately needed Silena to revamp his look. The collared black cloak didn't give much justice either.

I walked in and took a look around to see where I would sit. On one lab there was a blonde girl chewing gum surrounded by others with bleach blonde hair. Another lab had a group of lanky boys with glasses and braces, chatting nonstop about "hot babes". _Ooookay._

I sighed and sat in the corner of the room, next to a girl with baby pink hair. She glanced up at me and my breath hitched. In that moment, I swear I would go lesbian for her.

"Jenny." She said, nodding. Jenny was Asian, her eyes doe-like. She pretty much looked like a doll. Not to mention, she was pale and had a delicate complexion.

"Thalia." We shook hands, and she gripped mine strongly. The corner of my lips went up. She looked small and frail, but she seemed strong.

Class went along smoothly. We were dissecting frogs - we somehow went straight into Biology.

Castellan was one of the latecomers, swaggering into the classroom leisurely. Another was a tall boy who looked Italian. He had broad shoulders and his hair was wind ruffled. He had a pretty nice tan, too. I approved of his t-shirt which had "The Ramones" in large writing on the chest. He took a seat next to Jenny and she smiled at him.

And that was when he reached into the back pocket of his jeans and pulled out a large silver pocketknife. Jenny didn't look too concerned as he promptly stuck it in the middle of the frog's body.

"Hey!" I said, and I was sure that my eyes were as wide as saucers.

He turned around to face me, flicking the hair out of his eyes. Oh. He was actually quite handso-

"Pinecone Face?"

I choked. "Death Breath?"

Oh Zeus. Please don't tell me I just checked my cousin out.

_Cont. _


	4. Chapter 4 - Disaster in the Air

**Disclaimer: I don't own PJO or HoO**

**A/N: **Hey everyone :) I'm so sorry about my updating, school has been really troublesome! I'll try and update my other stories asap!

Thankies to everyone who reviewed, favourited and alerted! Especially: StillSunflower, LittleDropsOfSunshine, Athletiger, DogsAreAwesome, purplebutterfly12, Awe To The Some and the wonderful anonymous guests :)

- S.

* * *

I sat there with my mouth open, gaping like a fish at the guy in front of me. The whole class was busy with their own work, and Jenny had decided to busily organise the implements on the lab bench.

"Thalia? Anyone up there in your head of air?" Nico frowned, leaning forward to wave a ringed finger in front of my frozen face.

"Hi." I said, eyes still wide and staring. My cousin sure had sprouted. Last time I saw him he was still a small boy who loved Mytho Magic Cards.

And now... Boom.

The guy in front of me had an expression like he was going to face-palm. Freckles dashed across his scrunched up nose, mirroring my own, and his brown eyes looked questioningly at me.

"Zeus!" I cursed at him, smacking his shoulder forcefully, eliciting an "OOF!" from him. "Don't scare me like that and don't stick your pocket knife into dead animals! Show some respect for the dead, Death Boy!"

Nico rolled his eyes, pressing his silver skull ring into the palm of his other hand. "Well isn't it nice to see you, too, cuz. Except now, you've completed the transformation. I think you've become my mum."

I shook my head and grinned, noticing Jenny watching our conversation, her eyes flicking from me to Nico.

"Reunited." She stated, turning her attention back to the now mutilated frog. I glanced down at the frog, poor thing, it's legs were forcefully splayed, pinned to the cork board by tall pins.

Nico ruffled Jenny's hair affectionately. "Yep. But you don't have to be jealous; she's my cousin, Bunny."

Jenny rolled her eyes. "I'm not jealous," she protested, and then snapped, "and don't call me Bunny!"

Science went well from then. Nico, Jenny and I talked through the lesson and the frog lay somewhat forgotten during the midst of the conversation.

I found out that Jenny was the second smartest girl in the grade, and took an interest in sports. She was quite a feisty character and I could see why out of this class my cousin decided to sit next to her.

Break time came and after grabbing some food from the canteen - an apple and a chocolate milk carton - I made my way to Barnacle Brain's table.

The seating arrangements were... Interesting. Percy had placed himself at the head of the table, Nico and Bianca preferring to sit on the side with Jenny opposite. Silena and I sat on the other side.

"Why does Fish Head get to sit there?" I pointed the core of my apple in the general direction of Percy, who sat tall and smug.

"Because I'm awesome?" Percy immediately supplied, taking a large bite of his chicken burger.

"No." Jenny cut in and Percy shot her a mock sad face. Jenny gave a devilish smirk at us before continuing. "You see that blonde girl over there?" She nodded in the direction of where a honey blonde girl sat with Katie, the girl in my maths class, and... Luke Castellan. "Percy has a massive crush on her," Jenny finished bluntly.

There was a loud clatter and when I turned around, Percy had chocolate milk spilled on his tray.

"T-that's... I-I-" he spluttered, his green eyes finally narrowed on the pink haired Jenny, who smiled sweetly back at him.

"Ah, ah, ah!" She raised one finger. "Annabeth is looking."

Percy was quick to react. He sat back in his chair with a nonchalant expression, pretending to be engaged in a serious discussion with Nico. I snorted. Coral Head.

Annabeth, the girl of Percy's fantasies, was indeed looking at our table. But not at Percy, no. She was looking at me and in a deep conversation with Castellan. My stomach felt uneasy as I watched them, but I was called back to the table by Bianca snapping her fingers in front of me.

"Soccer trials are tomorrow after school. Are you going to come?" She asked, and Jenny and Silena nodded.

"Of course." I grinned. "Anyone who I should be looking out for in the girls' team?"

Silena and Jenny shared a look. Jenny then leaned forwards. "There's this girl and her name is Drew. She's got the hots for your brother, Jason." Jenny swivelled in her chair and pointed with her thumb out the window. I spotted the blonde head of my brother sitting with a Latino boy. Three girls were with them, two that I recognised instantly as Kellie and Tammi. The other was a stunning brunette. Drew.

"Yeah, that one there," Jenny nodded. "She's a soccer girl, too. Been team captain of the team for two years."

"She's a bitch." Bianca contributed, her warm brown eyes were searing hot as she glared at the girl.

I knew Bianca to be a sweet girl, so I guessed that whatever Drew had done to her, it was bad.

"I'll keep an eye out for her then," I said, and Nico nodded approvingly.

-!-

Silena went home before me today. I decided to stay back to exercise in the school gym with Jason. So after my regular exercise routine consisting of push-ups, crunches, bench presses and a run on the treadmill, I had a good sheen of sweat covering my body.

It was around 6pm by the time I said goodbye to my brother and arrived back at the apartment.

I hummed as I opened my door and flicked the switch on, dumping my bag on the counter in the kitchen. I opened the fridge and peered inside - empty. Huh, I needed to shop. Seems like it would be take out for tonight.

I pulled my Doc Martens off, coming to stand at the bathroom mirror. My freckles were getting bigger, I swear. When did they look that big? Why did they have to- _CRASH._

I shot up straight and frowned. It didn't sound like it came from inside. I walked quickly to the door and yanked it open. Almost immediately a heavy lump collapsed on me, and I grabbed the thing's shoulders to stop it from hitting the floor.

Wavy blonde hair swept into my face and I blew it out of the way. "What are you doing?" I asked, staring at the man in my arms.

"Hnn." He grunted softly. Then he let out a groan, and I felt a sharp jolt of concern run through me. Though I thoroughly disliked him, I was worried about his current state.

"Come, let's get you into your room." I tugged him up and across the hall. I tried to prop him upright but he kept falling, like he was unable to stand independently. "Key, key." I muttered, starting to pat down his body. It wasn't like I was feeling him, but he had the energy to send me a saucy look, and I immediately glared back.

Finding his key in his pocket, I held open the door with one foot and dragged him in, dumping him unceremoniously on the couch. His apartment was the same as mine, just more decorated with the red posters of Manchester United and the blues of Chelsea. On one side of the room banners were hung on the wall and gold and silver trophies lined the shelves proudly.

After depositing Castellan on the couch, I was like a magnet attracted to the fridge. I poured some cold water for Blondie and checked out the ingredients in the fridge. Enough to make some sauce for pasta.

"What did you do?" I asked as I neared him. I came around to his side and helped prop him up with a pillow, holding the glass to his lips.

"Trained... Too hard." He muttered. "I feel half dead now."

"Idiot. It was your fault, then." I said, standing up and he watched me with his ocean blues.

"Don't go." He suddenly said and I looked at him curiously. Why was he suddenly so bipolar? Being so cold then warm, just like the ocean.

"I'm not leaving. I'm going to get something to eat." I nodded, then added, "For tax," and walked away quickly to the kitchen, pulling the mince meat and sauce out.

I cooked quickly. The meat did not take long to brown, and the sauce was already heated up when the pasta finished cooking. I piled the pasta onto plates and poured the tomato sauce on top, walking over to sit next to Castellan.

"Thanks." He said as he took the plate from me and dug in. I watched his expression to see whether he liked it. "This is good!" He said, eyes wide and a smile on his face.

"You're either being nice because you want something, or you're delusional." I replied, scooting further away from him, wary.

"I'm being genuine. Honest." He said, giving me a grin, and my eyes locked onto his lips before flicking up to his eyes. They were clear, not cloudy like that of a delusional person.

"Whatever you say, Castellan."

"Don't call me that. Call me Luke."

"Mmkay." I was too tired and full to argue. I collected our plates and stacked them in the dishwasher, coming back to sit on the sofa.

An awkward silence collected over us then. Luke cleared his throat and focused on his trophy wall. "Do you uh... Play soccer?"

I rolled my eyes and turned around, stretching my feet across the couch, being careful not to touch him. "Yes. I got a scholarship for it to come to Goode."

Luke was silent for a moment, and cautiously, he reached around and hooked his arms under my feet, dropping them on his lap. There was a pause, as if he were waiting to see if I'd grant him permission to do that. I rose an eyebrow but didn't comment, allowing my legs to rest there. But they were tense. What was he doing? He was planning something, wasn't he?

"I should watch you play then." His voice dropped low, lower than his usual range which was quite deep. Luke gazed at me, his lashes dipping low. A lopsided grin was on his face, and I didn't know why, but I felt my heart start thumping hard.

"Hmm." I murmured. Whether it was in agreement or not, I wasn't too sure myself.

We stopped talking for a bit and I snuck the occasional glance at him. When I told Silena the other day that I wasn't attracted to him, I may have lied. Just a little bit.

He was FIT. You could tell with just a glance that he worked out. And underneath that shirt? Just what would his abs look like?

Oh Thalia. I mentally smacked myself. Cut it out, cut it-

Smoke. I shook myself out of my daydream and sat up. Luke stared at me. "Is it just me or does it smell like-"

"Smoke." I continued and finished for him.

Almost on cue, the smoke alarms went off and so did the sprinklers. Could my day get any worse?

-!-

"It's 9 o'clock at night!"

"Yes, I know, and I'm so sorry."

"This is expensive carpet, and this! This is wood!"

This is where I found myself at 9pm at night. I was standing in the middle of Luke's soaking wet apartment with an utterly confused and upset Aphrodite, the landlord.

"I can pay for it," I butted in. "It's fine. It was my fau-"

"No." Luke glowered at me, his arms across his chest. "It was my fault, Mrs Beauregard. With my girlfriend over, I didn't pay attention to the stove. It's alright, I'll pay with my insurance."

Aphrodite looked doubtfully around the apartment. "Okay," she finally agreed. "I'll get the contractors to come in and fix this. It will probably take a few months. In the mean time though, you will need a place to stay."

Luke nodded. "That's the easy part. I'll just stay with my girlfriend."

Aphrodite and Luke both turned to look at me and I froze like a deer in headlights. Oh Hades no!


End file.
